1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a side wall structure for use in an automotive body, and more particularly to a door structure of an automobile.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
It is necessary that a side wall structure of an automotive body, particularly a door positioned closest to a passenger seated on a nearby seat, be rigid enough not to be recessed or deformed into the passenger compartment when a shock is applied laterally to the side wall structure. One conventional automotive body side wall structure includes a reinforcing panel disposed in a door for increased rigidity, as disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 56-50813, for example. The disclosed structure, as shown in FIG. 5 of the accompanying drawings, has a reinforcing panel 15 of a corrugated cross section which is made from a high-strength steel sheet. The reinforcing panel 15 is disposed in a space defined in a door 11 between an inner panel 12 and an outer pane 13, and positioned between a substantially vertically central portion of the outer panel 13 and a window glass 19 as it is retracted into the door 11, the reinforcing panel 15 having its ridges and grooves extending in the longitudinal direction of the automobile. Clearances between the reinforcing panel 15, the outer panel 13, and the window glass 19 should be of certain values or greater such that these members will not contact each other due to assembling errors, vibration, or the like, and also that a paint layer can be electrodeposited on the inner surface of the outer door panel 13. As shown in FIG. 6, only each of the front and rear ends of the reinforcing panel 15 is attached to the inner panel 12 by means of a bracket 18.